A Shark Amongst Fish
by BetaReject
Summary: The first time Raven looked upon Erik she knew he was a predator.Erik was, as she once tried to explain to her brother a a shark amongst pet fish. Erik/Raven or Magneto/Mystique.


**Beta Read:** A huge thank you to the awesome Cariel for beta reading this for me! =D You freaking rock my socks!

**Author's Notes:** Just a warning this is based entirely on X-Men: First Class movie. It's also my first time writing as Raven/Mystique so go easy on me! ^^;

Was written for an anon meme request for a theme about Magneto/Erik's teeth. Also a thank you to Jonyuu for pointing out a timeline discrepancy thank you for catching that! *blushes*

**Warnings:** Het!relationship, mild sensuality, mild dark themes.

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The first time Raven looked upon Erik she knew he was a predator. He was not sort of predator she had known a lifetime ago when she lived on the streets; that did not make him any less dangerous. Erik was, as she once tried to explain to her oblivious and amused brother, a shark amongst pet fish.

The telepath had teased her for her paranoia, believing her to be fearful of their new compatriot. Fearful was not the word Raven would have chosen, but that suited her just fine. True to his promise, Charles' statement had revealed he still respected her privacy, thus leaving her secrets safe.

Others came into her life and for a time, their presence was distraction enough, leaving Raven to forget the danger beneath Erik's stoic exterior. In those rare moments when he was too distracted to remember who he was trying to be, Raven would catch his smile. His smile reminded her of a shark that lived amongst pet fish.

II

The second time Raven noticed Erik it was due in part to Angel. Her friend's obsession with cheap, horror-romance novels, the sort found at a nickel and dime shops, had left Raven at the mercy of her strange observations.

"Look at him. Have you ever seen him smile? I mean really smile?"

Raven sighed in response. She already knew where this was headed and could not be bothered to explain her own theory on the matter.

"I half expected him to have fangs. You know he'd make a very sexy vampire. Just imagine those lips, those teeth nipping at your throat…"

While she ignored Angel's prattle, Raven made it a point to watch Erik more closely in the future, if only for the purpose of observation.

In his features, she saw no vampire, no werewolf or other strange connotations of petty fantasy. In his rare smiles, she saw only the predator, the one that no one else seemed to see.

During those times, when he caught her watching him (or was it the other way around?), Raven also saw something else, something she knew she was not meant to see: vulnerability.

His secret was safe with her, but she could never forget what she had seen.

III

The third time Raven noticed Erik, he had challenged her as he always did when she was at her most vulnerable. Raven had been toning her form and learning to master the art of multi-tasking when Erik used his skills to rob her of the weights.

Hovering the barbells over her form, he challenged her in a way no one ever had before allowing the weights to drop. The shape-shifter immediately caught the weights, but not without reverting to her natural form. Erik had made his point, and doing so, Raven was forced to reconsider everything she once knew and believed.

That night Raven dreamed that she was beautiful, normal and perfect when she kissed Hank's lips. Yet it was Erik's teeth, so sharp and white that bit at her cerulean shoulders, while his voice whispered in her ears sending shivers down her spine.

_You want society to accept you, but you can't even accept yourself._

Raven awoke to the memory of his words echoing in her thoughts and imaginary weight of his lips on her skin. She never looked at Erik the same way again.

IV

The fourth time Raven noticed Erik was the first time she had ever stood up to him.

Several weeks had passed since Charles had fallen victim to their first battle against the normal human world. Time slowed when Moira had fired her weapon at Magneto, but it stopped entirely when the bullet, instinctively deflected by Erik, shot straight into her brother's back. The world had been saved, just as one man's world had come undone. To those who fought alongside him, Erik ceased to be that fateful day and in his place stood only Magneto.

To the Hellfire Club, he was the perfect leader, one they could respect and follow. To the X-men, he was a traitor. And to Charles, he was all but lost. Everyone accepted the mask, the detached, calculating exterior of Magneto, but Raven knew better and after several weeks, she had had enough.

"You once told me that I should never hide, yet here you are doing just that! You might be able to fool the others, but you'll never fool me."

Her statement was only the beginning. The battle that followed was the most ferocious she had ever fought, yet not a single attack was made. Circling each other like two predators pacing, they tore at the invisible walls that held them apart. Erik bared his teeth while Raven showed her claws. They fought until their roles of predator and prey had been stripped clean, leaving only vulnerability and unspoken wounds.

"What do you want from me?" Erik asked in a voice quiet and tinged with desperation.

"I want nothing more than you are willing to give," Raven softly replied.

He left without another word. Through the windows behind him, the sun rose, marking another sleepless night for them both.

V

The fifth time Raven noticed Erik, it was their first night together. In her arms, he breathed her name as his teeth hungrily nipped at her blue-scaled skin between passionate kisses. Together, experienced and innocent, eager and hesitant, they explored one another's form as their bodies sought to say all that their voices could not.

The gentleness of his touch had been unexpected, as was the raw honesty she saw in his eyes. Even through the haze of passion, Raven knew Erik had never allowed another person to truly witness this side of him. The silent trust she saw in his gaze spoke more volumes than words of love ever could.

What they shared was so much more than just lust or carnal desire. They had both dove in with eyes wide open, fully aware that there would be no turning back.

The hour was late when the fires of their passion were momentarily sated. In his arms, Raven watched as Erik slowly drifted off into a peaceful rest. As her own golden eyes grew heavy, she smiled to herself and gave a soft sigh of contentment.

She had become the bearer of his secrets and as sleep descended upon her, Raven fully understood that her secrets, too, were safe with him.


End file.
